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Sun Country

Old 09-23-2016, 04:51 AM
  #611  
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It may be helpful for some more commuters and bottom half FO seniority to chime in to give the full picture. If junior line holder and commuting, how much do you actually credit and how many days home? (On reserve you only have two days off between 5 day stretches with the exception of 4 hard days.) Especially since our trips often begin with 0600 shows and end at 2300 time frame. Open time, especially turns, seems to only work if you're in the top 1/3rd of the list since you have better days off to pick up time. Sun Country is great -- I don't want new pilots to be disappointed when they're expecting 16 days off and crediting 120 hours. It doesnt work like that.
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Old 09-23-2016, 05:53 AM
  #612  
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What is the first year starting pay for FOs?
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Old 09-23-2016, 06:32 AM
  #613  
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Originally Posted by trfreier View Post
What is the first year starting pay for FOs?
48.00/hr x 75 hour reserve guarantee.
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Old 09-23-2016, 06:39 AM
  #614  
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Plus: The best parking in the entire airline industry. :-)

2 minutes from your car to KCM and there's coffee just inside the door. It's a pilot's dream.

(Well, not working at all is a pilot's ultimate dream. But good parking and readily available coffee are up there.)

Will



Originally Posted by Sunn View Post
Hey 12fly, new to the forums but thought I'd chime in and give you some help with your decision.

The pros:
3 year upgrade
Growing airline
A chance to get out of the fee for departure model and work for your own airline.
B737NG
A livable wage (Its not United, and still low, but after 2 years most FOs are in the $85-$100k range. Captains are in the $100-$200k + depending on seniority.
Hometown airline culture
Ability to credit 100-120+ hrs as an FO in most months
INTL and ETOPS charters
Caribbean and Mexico layovers
Good Per Diem ($500-$800 a month for layover lines)
150% for open time pickup above 75hrs.
Turn Lines are 17-21 days off. Layover lines are around 14-16 days off


Cons:
11/12 min days off
No min day pay
Scheduling flexibility is poor
401k is 6%, goes to 8%
$20,000 training contract
Not entirely commuter friendly
Lines fluctuate based on the season. A high number of "turns" in the fall and winter and lots of 4-5 days in the spring and summer.


Most people like it, even those that leave enjoyed their time for the most part. It was just time for them to move on to greener pastures.

Most people know nothing about us, but it is a really good place to work and one of the better kept secrets in the industry.

If you don't have an offer anywhere else, you should seriously think about flying here. I think you'll like it, good luck.
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Old 09-23-2016, 08:09 AM
  #615  
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Originally Posted by woutlaw View Post
Plus: The best parking in the entire airline industry. :-)

2 minutes from your car to KCM and there's coffee just inside the door. It's a pilot's dream.

(Well, not working at all is a pilot's ultimate dream. But good parking and readily available coffee are up there.)

Will
Good point!
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Old 09-23-2016, 11:05 AM
  #616  
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Originally Posted by woutlaw View Post
Plus: The best parking in the entire airline industry. :-)

2 minutes from your car to KCM and there's coffee just inside the door. It's a pilot's dream.

(Well, not working at all is a pilot's ultimate dream. But good parking and readily available coffee are up there.)

Will
It would be even better if they picked us up at home. Remember, we're pilots and it's never good enough!

Give a pilot a bag of money and he or she will complain it's too heavy!

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Old 09-23-2016, 11:51 AM
  #617  
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As a more middle seniority commuting FO I can tell you that commuting to our reserve sucks. Pm reserve works commuting east to west as you can come in same day and if you're not used on your last day they're usually pretty good about letting you go by early evening. If you do get used on reserve after you're done flying, say they overnight you and then have you deadhead the next day, you can bounce. When we had our Miami flying to Cuba many times we would finish on Saturday scheduled to deadhead on Sunday so I could catch a late flight home, effectively have Sunday off and then just have to be in Msp by 11am Monday. As a junior line holder, it's been surprisingly commutable. Late shows and finishes in the morning or early afternoon are pretty standard. Some of our multi day trips started with a 19:30 check in day 1, finishing with a red eye on the last day so you can run for your first flight home. Charters are also great for commuting as they will position crews the day before any flying usually somewhere in Texas or Midwest, destinations easy to get to from most airline hubs. International charters are fantastic for commuting as well and will usually get you home a day earlier than the rest of your crew assuming you want to go bounce around the world for a week. When we do Gulfport and Laughlin keep in mind we usually have the same drivers and they'll work with you if you're commuting in and not on company time. If you're not on reserve and unless you want to stick around Msp you're not making extra money. Figure junior line holder in the slow season is 70ish credit with 15 off but a great per diem check. Winter it's more flying and credit, usually more nights in Msp if you want to hunt for all inclusive 24+ hour stays in the Caribbean but as a commuter on guarantee in the winter, one Cancun turn on a day off over 75 hours gives you about 12 extra hours of pay for one extra night.
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Old 09-23-2016, 02:54 PM
  #618  
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Even though its a recent post, this is worth seconding. As its been mentioned before, you wont find legacy pay, but the QOL is great, the flying is usually really fun, its a small community and the people are fantastic. I think for the MSP pilot its a great spot to be. I cant comment on life as a commuter, but as a homer its a pretty sweet "local" gig flying 737s with some potential for the future.

Originally Posted by Sunn View Post
Hey 12fly, new to the forums but thought I'd chime in and give you some help with your decision.

The pros:
3 year upgrade
Growing airline
A chance to get out of the fee for departure model and work for your own airline.
B737NG
A livable wage (Its not United, and still low, but after 2 years most FOs are in the $85-$100k range. Captains are in the $100-$200k + depending on seniority.
Hometown airline culture
Ability to credit 100-120+ hrs as an FO in most months
INTL and ETOPS charters
Caribbean and Mexico layovers
Good Per Diem ($500-$800 a month for layover lines)
150% for open time pickup above 75hrs.
Turn Lines are 17-21 days off. Layover lines are around 14-16 days off


Cons:
11/12 min days off
No min day pay
Scheduling flexibility is poor
401k is 6%, goes to 8%
$20,000 training contract
Not entirely commuter friendly
Lines fluctuate based on the season. A high number of "turns" in the fall and winter and lots of 4-5 days in the spring and summer.


Most people like it, even those that leave enjoyed their time for the most part. It was just time for them to move on to greener pastures.

Most people know nothing about us, but it is a really good place to work and one of the better kept secrets in the industry.

If you don't have an offer anywhere else, you should seriously think about flying here. I think you'll like it, good luck.
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Old 10-06-2016, 10:17 AM
  #619  
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Default Sun Country interview gouge

Originally Posted by Alexander12 View Post
Anyone have an idea on what is the "new" interview like? On this board you have everything from just an hr interview to that plus a whole lot extra. The guy with the partial planel nbd approach with holding has to be kidding. Thanks guys!
Group session : Introduction to the company , length of training etc

Tech questions administered by two line pilots

1. Types of Hypoxia
2. blocked static port and the effect on the altimeter
3. Max holding speed at 10k

flight from SEA to PANC you will get wx & notams for both.
__________________________________________________ ______
4. Departing SEA on the Banger 8 runway 16L 100 ceiling and low vis temp/ dewpoint 11/11 arriving PANC 7R
Brief the departure and brief the approach
5. What is the lowest take-off minima for the runway
6. Could you go below DH if only the approach lights are insight
7. Going over your logbooks , medical , radio , checking main events in your logbook ( private commercial instruments etc)
8. what would be some considerations when flying on a hot and humid day

HR session , two HR personnel and one line pilot/instructor

Tell us about yourself

Tell us about a conflict with a supervisor or colleague and how you resolved it

Define CRM as you understand it.

Tell us about an emergency and how you dealt with it

Are you willing to pay the 20k training bond?

When would you be available if offered the position ( did not frown upon a date that was three months away from the interview date)

Any criminal record , DUIs etc?

Any accident , incidents or certificate actions ?

Any training failures ?

Cognitive test about 40 questions/1 hour

This one was just insane done on an IPAD)
example:
city x reduced their restrictions on oil import , as a result oil prices went down but unemployment in the field went up while the overall unemployment went down
a statement in this regard is made and you have to say if it is relevant or not

As far as the experience level of pilots being interviewed , all regional pilots and it appears that most new hire pilots are former regionals.

As far as hearing back from the company , in recent interviews some pilots got an the invitation on the same day .

Plan on spending approximately 4 hours ( plan your flight back home accordingly if you are not local)

Hope that helps.

Good luck.
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Old 10-06-2016, 05:36 PM
  #620  
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I don't know why people still ask max holding speeds. The holding speed you'll do is in the box. If it's higher than max you just tell ATC and they'll say "roger". Know one cares anymore.
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